France pension reform protests turn violent, Bordeaux town hall set on fire

The ninth day of protests against the pension reforms in France saw over a million people take to the streets, with at least119,000 in Parisalone. It was a day of violent protests as aBordeaux town hall was set on fire. It wasn't clear who was behind the blaze which was quickly put out.

President Emmanuel Macron's hugely controversial pension reformsawprotestersclash with French security forces on Thursday.The reform calls for the retirement age to be increased from 62 to 64.

Watch |Protests rock France over raising of retirement age

As per Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, 149 police officers and dozens of protestors were injured in the Thursday clashes. In addition, 172 people were arrested across the country, 72 of them in Paris.

Darmanin alleged that "there are thugs, often from the far-left, who want to bring down the state and kill police officers."

Reportedly lighting firesthroughout the city centre and engaging in a sort of cat-and-mouse game with the security forces, the rioting groups continued to clash with police in Paris late into the night.As per Darmanin, 140 fires were set alight in Paris.

In several other cities, including Nantes, and Lorient in the west, and Lille in the north, to subdue protestors, police had to fire tear gas. In Rennes,water cannons were put into use. Additionally, as per AFP, in the southwestern city of Bordeaux, the porch of the city hall was briefly set on fire.

As per the French interior ministry, around 1.089 million protesters took part in demonstrations across France. In Paris, the turnout stood at 119,000, which as per AFP is the highest for the capital since the movement started in January.

(With inputs from agencies)

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